Sylvia See on thu 26 feb 98
Hi all;
I have been using pure bees wax on my primitive pots for several years now
and have just switched to Future Clear liquid floor wax which I like alot
better. The bees wax is a ton of work and I get a much better finish with
Future, with less time involved.
I was taught how to apply bees wax in a primitive workshop and here is the
process we used. The reason we were given for using bees wax over other wax
was that it makes the piece reasonably water proof. I have had natural
plants in pots prepared this way for years with no leakage or sweating on
the bottom of the pots, so if this is the function of the piece you may
want to stick with bees wax rather than Future. I have not tested the water
proofing effects of Future yet, and would return to bees wax for pieces
that may hold water.
We take natural bees wax and cut in small pieces, melt it slowly in a
container of water over a medium heat on the stove until it is melted.
Note: Be careful melting this wax on the stove. It can catch on fire and
there is nothing that will put it out. I use a gravy boat so it can be
easily poured into small tinfoil tart shells. This gives small, flat, thin,
pieces to work with. Then after washing and drying the sawdust fired pots,
we put them in the oven at about 250 degrees temp. until hot. Wearing oven
mitts, we put a small piece of wax inside the pot and slowly turn it around
and around until the wax melts and thoroughly soaks into the pot. Pour out
the excess and start doing the outside. Holding one of the round pieces of
wax in a small piece of cloth, quickly rub the wax into the pot as it
melts. you need to work rather quickly, as it soon cools enough you stop
getting the watery sheen and it is time to stop. This is a very hot, time
consuming process. I then use an old shoe brush, or vegetable brush to
polish. I have found after polishing, I like them better after I applied a
second coat of clear floor and repolished. This also helps cut some of the
beeswax smell. For a really clear high sheen I apply Future Clear Floor wax
over the other wax, after I am really sure it is dry. For the prices you
can charge for these pieces, it is alot of work. However, after being
discouraged in the marketing of the primitive pieces of my work and laying
off for a couple of years, I have just returned to doing them again. Why???
They are my favorites, and I love doing them. Market or no market.
You can't beat the giffin grip for burnishing and polishing these pieces.
You can sit for hours doing both jobs by hand but the grip cuts the time
and makes the burnishing and polishing job much better. You still have to
fiddle around the additions, decorations, tops etc. but nothing compared to
doing the entire piece by hand. By the way, crochet hooks work really well
burnishing around little narrow lips. Also I had polished stones glued to
small wooden dowels and they work like a charm. Also on large pieces where
I have a large flat surface to work with, the flat side of credit cards
does a great burnishing job, but the pot needs to be spinning on the grip.
Have fun!!! I have another load just about ready to go myself. The
neighbors think we have a fireplace:))))))
Sylvia See, Claresholm, Alberta where last nights snow has already
disappeared.
pduncan on fri 27 feb 98
Last summer I did my first primitive fire pieces at the local arts
center. I got some wonderful flashing with copper carbonate sprinkled
on the sawdust that we used a fuel. When it came to "finishing" the
pots after the firing I used some liquid beeswax I got out of my
husbands woodshop. It is EASY to use and gives just a soft sheen when
buffed after application. I used two coats and just love the way these
pots look. I also tried acrylic floor wax, and carnuba wax and the
beeswax was the best of all and the easiest. Product labeled
"Skidmore's Liquid Beeswax Woodfinish"
Skidmore's
652 North Pierce
Laramie, WY 82070
(800)785-2466
purchased through one of the mailorder woodworkers catalogs
Pam in Sunny Sheboygan WI
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